


Ten Whispers of Rain

by Tsume_Yuki



Series: One Confident and Happy Self-Insert [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Happy Beginning, Happy Ending, Happy middle, Let's have some positivity people, Self-Insert, a fic where almost everything will go right for those times you need to read a fic like it, tryin' for those 100 Winks of Sunshine vibes, unbeated we post like illiterates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2020-09-07 19:54:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20315104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsume_Yuki/pseuds/Tsume_Yuki
Summary: In which the Self-Insert is confident, cheerful and striving for a happy (second) life. Citizens of Konoha, meet little Miss Positivity.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Otherwise known as the 'what if the SI who is Bella in 100 Winks landed in Naruto Universe instead?'

"God, Tsunade, if you wanted a baby you could have just asked!"

"I didn't want your baby!"

Huddled down beside the sleeping Shizune (though how she's sleeping through this row is beyond her), Kato Uzume presses the sides of the blanket closer to her head, trying to muffle her ears. It's been three hours since Jiraiya, her Mama's teammate, has caught up to them and, before this, there had been nothing but stony silence between the two of them. Even as Mama's teammate had done nothing but coo over her. Which was admittedly very flattering. Uzume still doesn't understand as much as she would like about the world she lives in, but she knows for certain she's ended up on the adorable side. Long, silvery-blue hair and the same bright caramel eyes as her mother; the pouty lips are just the icing on the cake.

That was before she'd known her Mama had done some questionable shit to conceive.

Apparently, her Papa wasn't just dead before she was born, he'd been dead before she was even conceived. According to Mama's loud teammate, Mama had gotten involved with their creepy teammate and his unethical science experiments. A long story short, Uzume had been little more than a science experiment to creepy teammate, one he stops by to check on every six or so months. She's gotten wise to his tests by now, though she still has little idea of what Orochi is talking about when he's asking her to 'pour her energy into the tree'. Nothing ever happens, so she's long since given up understanding creepy-Orochi's ways. Maybe they'll make more sense when she's got more context on the situation.

"Is this really a healthy way to deal with it all?" Mama's loud teammate asks and his voice is really quite soft, tender in a way he's not exhibited so far.

It has Uzume rolling over to look at him, sucking in her pouty bottom lip as she considers this 'Jiraiya'. He's huge, with his back to Uzume and it only makes his broad shoulders that bit more obvious. When they'd been standing up earlier, he'd towered over Mama. Not that Uzume is worries for Mama; she's seen Mama knock down a tree with just a tap of a finger (which had been ridiculously cool; if she's had to be reborn anywhere, she's hella glad it's somewhere with super powers). Jiraiya probably wouldn't stand a chance against her Mama. He's also hopelessly in love with her; it's lovely and quite saddening too. Mama's clearly not over the Papa Uzume's never known, nor ever will.

"You don't get to judge here, Jiraiya. It's different from your little Ame orphans." Whatever that's code for is obviously designed as a verbal attack on Jiraiya; he winces like Mama punched him, shoulders drooping inwards with the motion. Uzume wishes she knew what the underlying problem between the two of them is; though they're talking about her and the very fact she exists, the way they fight indicates this is more than that, the same old argument but rehashed through a different issue.

"Uzume. I know you're awake."

"Eep!" She hastily pulls the blanket up and over her head, but there's little point to it. Once Mama's sighted her doing something she shouldn't, there's no escaping it. Sure enough, two strong hands clamp down on either side of her ribs, hoisting her up for a moment, before she's deposited in Mama's lap as she sits down. It is with great reluctance that Uzume peels the hood of her blanket back.

Jiraiya the mountain of a man stares at her and Uzume stares back, scrunching up her nose and pressing her lips into that cute and a button pout. It's not polite for children to eavesdrop on adults, but then Uzume isn't a child, is she? Well, she is, but she has memories of not being a child too, so there.

"Alright there, Squirt?"

"'M fine," Uzume murmurs, slowly lowering the defence of her blanket from her chin to better expose Jiraiya to the cuteness that is her baby face. "You?"

"Could be better, Squirt, could be better. Wanna see something cool?"

"Uh huh!" Despite the sleep that is begging to be allowed to take over in the corners of her mind, Uzume nods, wiggling about in her Mama's lap until she's in prime position to see whatever it is Jiraiya is about to do. Mama huffs but doesn't shuffle her off to bed. That's practically permission to remain awake, as far as Uzume is concerned.

With a flick of his wrist, Jiraiya unrolls a plain scroll, one of the little ones that Uzume's been practicing her writing on. It's blank only as long as it takes Jiraiya to pull out a brush and ink pot. But he doesn't draw anything and it doesn't come to life. Instead, it's squiggles he puts on the paper, alternating between curves and straight lines. It's not words Uzume can read and she hopes it's not words at all. Otherwise, she's probably a lot worse at this new language then she'd thought she'd be.

Her thought process is completely derailed when, upon finishing and placing his palm to the squiggles, Jiraiya makes the ink light up. It's a beautiful blue colour, shimmering and shining much like a night-light in her old world would.

"Wow!" Scrambling out of her Mama's lap, Uzume crawls over to the paper, lifting it up and tilting it this way and that but there really is no hidden lightbulb. The glow is coming from the paper.

"And that's just a basic light-seal!" Jiraiya states, a wide grin on his face. Like that, the weird red lines on his face add character instead, the wart by his nose disappearing in the shadows of the single light they'd had on in the hotel room before the paper light.

"Light-seal?"

"A type of Fūinjutsu. You know, the ninja arts?"

Ninja arts?

* * *

It should have been obvious from the start. Orochimaru never did anything out of the goodness of his heart, never. But she'd been blinded by the idea, the very thought of having some piece of Dan that she could cling to, never once wondering just what was in it fro Orochimaru.

Sitting with Sensei's office now, Tsunade knows. The evidence is right before her, recovered from Orochimaru's base as he'd fled. There's a file on Uzume, her darling Uzume, stamped with 'failure' and dated two years ago. Apparently, the year Orochimaru had given up on her little girl having the Mokuton and started his experiments to forcibly instil it in orphan children. There's bile in the back of her throat but Tsunade forges on, forces herself to read all of her teammate's (former teammate's) crimes. She's thankful she never agreed to allow Uzume out of her sights, even when Orochimaru was conducting one of his 'check-ups'. God, he could have claimed something had gone wrong, that she'd died from some unforeseen side-effect and then- and then her little girl could have been one of the children they've just pulled out of that underground lair.

"And young Uzume is fine?"

Tsunade lifts her gaze to consider Sensei, taking in the hard age lines that have carved their way into his face in the past year. With Minato dead, with his wife dead, his sudden aging doesn't surprise Tsunade, though it does sadden her.

"She's normal, I've not noticed anything out the ordinary about her." That there's no evidence of Mokuton goes unsaid between them. "When he next shows his face, I'll kill him." Even as she says it though, Tsunade's unsure if she'd actually be able to go through with it. For all that these experiments are crimes against humanity, that violate so many rules of Konoha… that sick genius was once a ten-year-old child who worked for hours alongside her to become a Sanin.

"And where is young Uzume now?" '_Why am I not being introduced to what is practically another grandchild?_' Clearly Sensei is attempting to cling to anything that could bring him a mote of joy in these trying times. Well, at the very least, the war is over. He does not have to go against other nations; their key problems at the moment come from within.

In truth, that may perhaps be more stressful than the option of outside agents.

"She's out exploring."

"On her own?"

"Fuck no," Tsunade snaps, rolling her eyes at Sensei tone of surprise. Because she's a ninja who believes in building independence and not an ignorant civilian- "Shizune is watching over her." Stealth training for her apprentice and confidence building for her darling daughter. She wouldn't dare do it anywhere other than the Leaf; here, there are other ninja who would jump in without hesitation to watch over her daughter should she encounter any kind of trouble.

She doesn't admit that, deep down, she wants Uzume to explore the village that Dan loved so much. The one Dan died for.

"Of course, of course." Shuffling the papers about on his desk, Sensei lets out a long, deep sigh before he thoughtful eyes flicker over to her. Oh fuck.

"Seeing as you are planning to stay for a few days, Tsunade-chan, would you put some of the medics through their paces? No blood, of course." Fuckety-fuck-fuck.

* * *

Uzume is nine years old and utterly incapable of deciding where to look first. Shizune and Jiraiya have told her stories about the Leaf Village (more the latter, solely because he'd spent the most time there), but hearing tales and actually walking through the bustling streets are two different matters entirely. People rush and walk back and forth, some quick, some slow, some whistling, some cursing under their breaths. Spice is the variety of life and all that… or is it the other way around? Eh, she can't remember and she doesn't care in the slightest.

A merchant on a stall calls out to her, waving her over and Uzume goes willingly, a pocket full of cash and a tummy lined only with a small breakfast snack.

"Some dango, for the pretty little lady?"

"Oh! Yes please!" Never say no to sweets! Handing over the appropriate amount of cash, Uzume happily accepts the treats in return, one balanced carefully in each hand. She's quick to inhale the first ball, chewing thoughtfully as she begins to meander through the streets once again.

This world she has been reborn in is a strange one, filled with ninjas and samurai. There's magic, power by chakra and called ninjutsu or genjutsu or even fūinjutsu, but it's exactly what she'd have called magic in a past life. She's adored the very concept ever since Jiraiya showed her that first seal, ever since he showed her how to activate her chakra. It no longer mattered how much she bled during training, how tired she became, how exhausted she'd end up after overusing her chakra. All that mattered was that it was something new, something cool, something she'd never done before. And it is incredible, to have this power at her fingertips, to recognise she's a descendant (a direct descendant!) of someone who dreamed of putting a stop to hundreds of years of war and actually did it. All with the power she can now use. Uzume's desperate to help people, to bring joy to their faces like Jiraiya once did to a little girl with a glorified night-light.

Sandaled feet slapping against the hard-packed earth of the turn-off, Uzume follow the street as the shops thin out into a more residential area. She's not really lived in a house before; Mama's always on the move. In her old life, that kind of unstable childhood would've been frown upon. Here, there are many nomads, all travelling about, wary of ninja from other countries but travellers nonetheless. Only, Mama's not wary of anyone because she's one of the strongest ninjas in existence. Not that Uzume's surprised; Mama's a badass. No, because of Mama's travel habits, she's seen so much of the world, has been able to contextualise things she'd never have understood otherwise. The history of this land is rich and deep, full of all sorts of wonderous things that'd have been nothing more than tall tales back in her old life. The kind of things that'd have been made into a movie or best-selling novel. This world is the shit and Uzume is doing her utmost to integrate herself as best she can.

Ripping the last bit of dango free of the stick, Uzume spins them about in her fingers, looking around for a bin. She's well and truly turned around in this place and while she knows Mama will have no problem finding her, Uzume doesn't exactly want to be waiting around for a rescue. She's far from stupid and the independence of a child here isn't based on age but on mentality; Uzume can look after herself. Circulating her chakra down to her feet, she jumps up towards the building nearby, scurrying up the side until she's sitting upon the roof. Up here, she can clearly see the handful of ninjas moving about on the buildings, leaping from one to another, defying the very laws of physics and it's amazing.

"This place is so freaking cool," she whispers, watching one ninja leap over the building next to hers. Taking a running start, Uzume launches herself from her current position to the next building, legs pumping to keep the momentum going. It's parkour dialled up to eleven, all free movement and she'd never have imagined she'd ever be so in control of her limbs before.

"Won't be long until you're graduating, right?"

Zoning in on the voices coming from the street below, Uzume stops her rooftop-hopscotch, leaning over the edge to identify the voice. There're two people, a man and what must be his son, walking below her. The adult wears what Uzume has learnt in Konoha standard uniform, the boy in hard-wearing everyday gear. He's got a bandana on his head, covering most of his hair. She can't quite make out the colour from this distance. His cough, however, is loud and clear.

"Yeah, should be in two weeks," the kid replies, both hands on his pockets and he glances up at his father. "Though it looks like the Uchiha kid will be graduating as well."

"Huh. What is he, eight?"

"Seven, actually."

Uchiha is a name she recognises. Uzume has begged and pleaded with her mother for stories of their family, of grandfather-Hashirama (well, her great-grandfather but details, shmetails) and how the Leaf Village came to be. Uchiha Madara had been the guy he'd built it with, they'd put an end to that long, long war. She'd known that, theoretically, there had to be other Uchihas out and about today. Unlike the Senju, who'd been hunted into near extinction during the wars. According to Mama, the other countries hadn't wanted to run the risk of another Hashirama popping up in their line. Which, fair enough, he'd been strong enough to earn the title of 'God of Shinobi'.

Does Uzume have a bit too much family pride? Maybe so. S'not gonna change her opinion on things.

Back on track, Uzume reminds herself as she clears the gap between the two buildings, following after the father-son duo. Graduating must relate to the ninja academy. She'd never been, only heard stories of it from Shizune, who had attended before Tsunade pulled her out to apprentice under her. Legally, as far as Uzume's aware anyway, she's registered in the Konoha system as an apprentice too; a ninja, but technically not available for missions as she's on a 'training montage'. Only, she doesn't get the cool Rocky background track to her everyday living. Huh, maybe there's a seal for that. She'll have to have a brainstorm with Jiraiya when she next sees him.

Uzume follows the two until they reach a large, red building. She's relatively sure some part of it is the Hokage Tower she left from but it's not completely familiar. What she can see from this vantage point are the four heads on the mountain. The First (her legendary great-grandfather), the Second (her great, granduncle who was just as incredible but not as well known as his brother), the Third (who she's met) and the Fourth (who died young). She considers the four serious faces that look out over the village they helped build up and, in three of four cases, died for. They'd fought, they'd worked so hard to protect the people of the Leaf and make it a happy place, a place where children could grow up without being thrown onto the battlefield, where families could be safe. This world is so different from her own; the power a person can command is so much great and, as the old saying goes, power corrupts. Just, not everybody. The four faces on that mountain top are the most obvious examples for that.

"Uzume-chan? Are you okay?"

Head tilting back, Uzume grins up at Shizune, happily patting at the section of roof beside her. The teenage sits herself down, adjusting the collar of her kimono so that it's securely together, covering almost all of the fishnet shirt she wears underneath. It's funny, ever since her boobs had come in, the other girl has grown adorably embarrassed of their size. Sure, they're nothing like her Mama's knockers (and oh boy, Uzume cannot wait for the joys puberty is going to bring upon her in the next decade), but they're sizable enough.

If Uzume gets curves like the women in her life, she's going to outright rock them.

"I'm fine, Shizune-nee-chan. I just… this place is great! Knowing the history of it all, that it was the first of its kind, that grandfather Hashirama built the very first house, that it was his and Madara's idea, I'm just super proud!" Leaping up onto her feet, Uzume plants her hands at her hips, back straight and head up. She might look nothing like Hashirama, but her hair is a light enough blue, a pale enough blue, that she could easily claim blood to the Second. You know, if she spiked it up a bit. Only it flows lusciously smooth; she has no intention of messing with what is clearly god's work.

"it is nice, isn't it?" Shizune whispers, still sitting on the rooftop, legs dangling over the edge. She waves to one of the bouncing shinobi who returns the gesture; Uzume wonders if they know each other or if that's just general Konoha citizen friendliness.

"Shizune-nee… Why doesn't Mama stay in the Leaf Village?" It'd been the one thing that Uzume had never dared to ask. Whenever Mama had talked of this place, it'd always been in a detached tone. She'd never offered any opinions on the place, not like Shizune and Jiraiya did. Even creepy Orochimaru before he'd disappeared from her life (gone bad, the Third had said with sad eyes) had said he liked the place.

"Tsunade-sama has lost a lot of thing while fighting in the war; her little brother-"

"Uncle Nawaki," Uzume whispers, receiving a clarifying nod from the older girl.

"-yes, and my uncle, your father, that is. It's painful to be here for her." Oh.

Dropping back onto the rooftop with her legs half-slung off the side, Uzume peers up at the sky, watching a single hawk soar from the Hokage's Tower and out towards the eastern sun that warms the back of her neck.

"Uncle Nawaki and Papa, they wanted to become Hokage, didn't they?" It makes sense now, how Mama had grumbled about the title, had been oddly bitter when news that the Fourth had died reached them. How she had stares at the four faces in the mountain with dead eyes when they had arrived in the early hours of the morning. Uzume hadn't been able to see as clearly, the early morning's sky had been too dark and she too short, unable to improve her eyesight with chakra alone.

"Yes. Their deepest desire was to become strong enough to protect all of the people that live within this village."

Glancing down at all the children that were gathering in the ninja academy's courtyard, some her age, other older or younger, Uzume's brow drops heavy over her eyes, her perfect pout that she prays never leaves her pressing together hard. Her mind spins as she watches the other kids play together, some laughing loud, others showcasing budding taijutsu forms that she recognises as Leaf standard.

"Shizune-nee?"

"Uzume-chan?"

"I'll do it. I'll protect all the people, just like Uncle Nawaki and Papa wanted to. I'll become the Hokage!"

Glass shatters behind them and they both spin around, Uzume with her fists curled ready for action and Shizune armed with kunai.

Mama stares back, a shattered bottle of sake at her feet and the Third Hokage by her side. Words cannot begin to describe the expressions on their faces, though Shizune has a good go.

"Oh shit."


	2. Chapter 2

There’s a new girl in the village.

While Shisui normally wouldn’t take note of such a thing, it’s difficult to miss her; what with the light hair, the running up the sides of buildings, and the whole howling like a wild thing for everyone to hear. At six-thirty in the morning. He counted three crying children and six more all desperate to copy the visitor; it’s precious. He has questions, but not ones that he can put off his missions for. Not when his father remains on bedrest with his health declining and his mother is struggling to keep herself together.

Sighing, he runs a hand through his hair, wincing when his fingertips get caught in the tangles of curls. Nearly time for a haircut then. It’s not long enough that it gets caught in his hitai-ate, but it’s not far off that length. Luckily enough for his cheapskate ways, a clone and a pair of scissors will soon solve the problem. If he were Itachi, who has enviably straight hair, he’d have to be careful with the whole chopping so much off his head in order to keep in straight. However, his wild mess of curls means no one really notices if some sections are longer than other parts. 

Shisui takes care to wave to the receptionist, the one who’d been installed by the Fourth two years ago. She’s seen him coming and going enough to know him by name now, especially as he’s one of the few who takes the time to offer her a greeting in the morning, as none verbal as it is. The fact that he’s relatively certain she’s a retired ANBU agent has absolutely nothing to do with it… at all.

Taking the stairs two and a time, Shisui bounces over to the Hokage’s office door, strolling through when he finds the threshold unblocked. There’s a team of genin with a jōnin sensei, accepting a mission from their esteemed leader. Shisui had accepted his first mission as a genin from the Third too. He had, however, been a Chunin when he got his first mission from the Fourth. That he’ll be getting his first jōnin mission from the Third (unless something drastic happens between now and his future promotion), is a sad thing indeed. Instead of looking at the team of genin, Shisui allows his eyes to flicker over to the other two occupants of the room, a slow, curious smile working its way up onto his lips.

The wild thing is sitting on the Hokage’s desk.

He’s not seen her around prior to yesterday, but she’s important enough to warrant company with the Hokage, that much is obvious by her very presence. There’s a long piece of red thread held between her fingers and she’s manipulating it back and forth in a series of patterns; it’s old school finger dexterity training, the kind he can remember his gramps Kagami showing him. The kind that Senju Tobirama invented in order to explore lesser used handseals for experimental jutsus. Which links neatly to the second surprise presence in the room.

Senju Tsunade sits hunched over a desk that has clearly been moved into the room especially for her, a stack of papers crowding her and a face like thunder. He’s never seen her before today, only had a vague description to go on from listening to little Izumi’s chattering. But you can’t really get ‘big-boobed, young looking lady who’s familiar with the Third’ wrong. Or, Shisui hopes not. What she’s doing here (both in Konoha and sitting at this extra desk in the Hokage’s office) Shisui cannot hazard a guess. Nor does he really want to ask when she’s scowling that hard.

Instead, he patiently waits his turn as the Hokage finishes up with the genin team. It won’t be long until Itachi’s on his own team, receiving his own missions in this very room. While part of him is incredibly proud of his intelligent little friend, another part worries. Shisui knows what the life of a shinobi is like, knows what is demanded of them. He struggled with the concept of killing as it is, avoids it as best he can. Itachi is so much… sweeter than he is. A true pacifist at heart, for all that he wraps himself in a passive exterior.

He’d make a great Hokage someday.

“Ah, Shisui. Close the door, please.”

“Sure thing, Hokage-sama.” Waving the genin team on their way (and ignoring the suspicious looks the taller brat sends him), Shisui shuts the door with a gentle twist of his arm, thumb licking over the privacy seal. Turning back to the Hokage, Shisui visible doesn’t react when he finds Tsunade has moved to stand before the Hokage, having pulled the girl behind her.

“No.”

“Tsunade, be reas-”

“Fuck no.”

At the vicious denial, the wild thing gives a delighted gasp, one hand cupping her mouth as she stares up at Tsunade, lips in a bright smile.

“Are you gonna spar? Make a bet? A bet’s probably better-”

“I don’t even need to talk to this brat to know he’s going to tar the Hokage post with some glowing endorsements. We are leaving in three days. No manipulations, nothing.”

Unsure of if he should be offended by the ‘brat’ comment or the fact that Tsunade (granddaughter of the First, student of the Third) apparently looks down upon the concept of the Hokage title. That Shisui, if asked, will big up the concept of Hokage is neither here nor there at the moment.

“It’s funny how you’ve picked a Uchiha too, given what whispers I’ve been hearing since we got back. Do you want to talk about that, Sensei.” There’s no question in that sentence, it’s all threat and malice and Shisui distinctly feels like he’s missed a step here. The whole whispers thing isn’t too hard to pick apart, what with how the village has taken to heaping suspicion on his clan since the Kyūbi incident near two years ago, but clearly this is the first Tsunade’s heard of it. Why she’d be uphappy- oh wait, Madara hadn’t been the only one able to control the tailed-beasts, had he? There was Senju Hashirama too. Maybe Tsunade has a right to be up in arms about this then.

Though he’d love to continue to pick apart this whole situation, the Third doesn’t give him much of a chance, signalling for him to step forwards.

“Shisui-kun. This is Kato Uzume, Tsunade-chan’s daughter. I’d like you to give her a shinobi tour of the village.”

Tsunade’s fist cracks down on the Third’s desk and it slams against the floor, the legs and sides shattering under the impact. Both Shisui and Kato Uzume take a hasty step back, even though the two elder shinobis remain right where they are, locked in a battle of wits, a stare off, so to speak. Shisui, loyal shinobi that he is (even if he thinks his Hokage should reel in the challenge to the unhappy Senju Tsunade), bows his head in compliance.

“Can do, Hokage-sama.” Not exactly the mission he’d been expecting today, but certainly one he has no problem completing. Especially when the Hokage flicks him a small scroll with the colouration of a B-rank mission. Probably for the importance of his little charge, what with her being the descendant of Hashirama. One who can’t implode mountains on command. He hopes.

From the looks that Tsunade is giving the Hokage, perhaps part of that ranking comes from the repercussions that will be visited upon him should he fail to take care of his charge. Unusual mission, but he welcomes the change.

Tucking the scroll into his pocket, Shisui offers Uzume-chan a grin, one that she gives him right back. He’s a whole head taller than her, but she makes up for that small stature with the sheer size and potency of her smile.

“Well, Uzume-chan, shall we set off?”

“Hell yeah, Shisui-senpai. Let’s go!”

If he wanted to, Shisui could have easily snatched his hand back and out of the girl’s eager grasp. He doesn’t, allows her fingers to wrap themselves around his as she begins pulling him to the door.

“Bye Mama, see you later, don’t destroy too many desks!”

Shisui lets the little lady take the lead until they’re out the Hokage Tower, internalising all the new information that he’s just been exposed to. Tsunade is back in the village for a few days, is clearly doing some kind of bureaucracy work and is against her daughter being exposed to shinobi life, if he understood the context of those words right. From the look of things, said daughter isn’t against that, is even trained- no, Tsunade can’t be against the idea of her daughter trained in the ninja arts, she wouldn’t be able to wall-walk if that were the case. So, it’s something else. Tsunade left the village because she lost the people she loved… she’s scared of losing Uzume-chan then.

Shooting the girl a quick glance, Shisui lets his eyes whip over her features, taking it all in, memorising it (because like hell if he’s gonna be the one to lose her). Long, pale blue hair, the same eyes as the Slug Princess, pouty little lips. Naw, she’s cute! He’ll have to introduce her to Itachi, she can’t be that much older than him. Though Izumi-chan may not appreciate it. Oh, so many different ideas.

“Alrighty then, Uzume-chan. What would you like to do?”

Stopping in the street, Shisui glances down at their adjoined hands, waiting for her to get embarrassed and pull her own hand free. She doesn’t. If anything, she holds tighter, smiles a bit brighter. Okay, re-evaluating opinions then. If she’s been travelling with Tsunade, his best guess would be that she’s not known many children her own age, certainly not well enough to get embarrassed about holding someone’s hand. No proclamations that she’s ‘not a kid anymore’ and that she doesn’t need to hold someone’s hand because she won’t get lost. She hasn’t developed that need to prove herself to other kids because she’s not got a grasp on what is ‘correct’ for other children. If she’s mainly been around adults her whole life, that’s not a surprise.

“Can we train? I decided yesterday that I want to become Hokage, so I need to be strong!” Uzume chimes, lifting her free hand in order to flex. There’s some muscle tone there, nothing obscene, but enough to know she’s taking her training seriously. What with the war having concluded three years ago, the newer generation are starting to forget, the girls starting to worry about looking pretty, the boys worrying about being part of the ‘cool crowd’; they forget that a lot of this is about survival.

“The strongest in the village, right?” Shisui humours her, even as he changes their course, starting to walk back on themselves to a training ground he knows’ll be free. After all, he’s just seen their team get handed a mission.

“Nah, I don’t need to be the strongest in the village. Just strong enough to protect everyone. Like grandpa Hashirama! I’ll get stronger, inspire others to get stronger, and just emphasise that if we’re kind to each other, if we help each other, there’s nothing we can’t do. That’s how this village was born, wasn’t it?” She cocks her head back, eyes closed and basks in the sunlight. All the while, Shisui stares down at the little lady doing a valiant job to not let his mouth hang open.

“Ah, Uzume-chan. That goes against a great deal of what every ninja learns during the academy. To kill your heart in order to complete a mission. Shinobi are to never show weakness, their tears and to always put the mission first.”

“Do you agree with that Shisui-senpai?” Big, caramel brown eyes stare up at him, neither judgemental or suspicious. Just, curious. Interested in his answer. Humming, Shisui shoves one hand into his pocket, the other still tangled up in Uzume’s.

“I think the mark of a true shinobi is self-sacrifice, Uzume-chan… a nameless shinobi who protects peace from within its shadow.” The implication that he doesn’t believe in the shinobi rules is there and Uzume-chan, it seems, is bright enough to catch that. She perks up, skipping along and forcing Shisui to increase the length and pace of his strides in order to keep up. She swings their arms back and forth, grinning the whole while.

“So, self-sacrifice, right? But is Grandfather Hashirama hadn’t shined as bright as he had, hadn’t put himself forwards into the light, maybe no one would have been brave enough to follow him and then there’d be no Konoha.”

“A bit of both then; some time in the shadows, some time in the light, all for peace,” Shisui concludes, reeling Uzume off of the main path on the little cut through to Seventeenth Training Ground.

It’s not too long of a distance and they’ve arrived soon enough, the babbling little river that eventually joins up to the larger one on the Third Training Ground downstream cutting through the centre of the grounds. Uzume releases his hand in order to begin her stretches, arms reaching high up to the sky before she dips to lay her palms flat against the ground. Copying her movements is easy enough, no Sharingan necessary. While they don’t get the chance to stretch before battles during missions, it’s always good practice to do so before training. He’s not surprised in the least to find out that Tsunade’s little girl is a subscriber to that train of thought, even if she probably does have the chakra control to soothe her muscles from unexpected strain.

“Ready, Uzume-chan?”

“Sure am, Shisui-senpai! Let’s do this!”

She’s a good little fighter; he’d been right in his prior assessment that the Slug Princess’ disdain was for the Hokage title, not the ninja arts themselves. Uzume flips him and, sure Shisui’s going easy on her, but she’s already solidly genin level. He twists as he comes overhead, landing on his feet and spinning, one leg coming up in a twisting uppercut. He narrowly misses her chin (on purpose of course) and from the tightening of Uzume’s eyes, she knows it too. This is training for him in that he’s having to adjust his speed to a level she can fight at, just as much as it’s training for Uzume-chan on how to hit a quicker opponent. Her hands dip down to the little kunai pouch attached to her leg, pulling a blade free. There’s a tag attached and Shisui’s instantly suspicious, Sharingan activating to read the incoming projectile. Explosive tag would’ve been his first guess, but the design doesn’t match up to what he knows at all. In fact, he doesn’t recognise those squiggles at all.

There is a very good reason that Shisui has acquired the epithet of ‘Shunshin no Shisui’ and he proves it in that second.

There’s a small displacement of air as things suddenly come into existence where there otherwise hadn’t been; streams and streams of paper exploding out of the paper tag. Shisui stares and that’s the bit that’s his undoing; the paper tag isn’t done. A blinding flash goes off, leaving him with white spots behind his eyes and utterly unable to see much of anything. It doesn’t make him helpless; a Uchiha he may be, but he’s not foolish enough to rely solely on his eyes. He leaps back and off the tree branch, Uzume’s punch missing him by a good foot due to his quick getaway. He can feel the displacement of air as her hand shoots forwards, smell the sweat that beads on her skin, hear the short rasp of her breath. Shisui lands and rolls, coming up quick. He blinks again and again and again but he’s still seeing spots.

“I know what flash-tags look like-” every Uchiha knows, it’s one of the first things they look up upon awakening the Sharingan- “and that isn’t it.”

“It’s a combo seal!” Uzume declares, voice proud and strong. “Not many seals can be put together because they get twisted, but a small-time storage seal and a flash seal work fantastically together because everyone sees the stuff that comes and are looking for the trap-”

“and that trap is the flash seal,” Shisui concludes, rubbing at his eyes and now able to make out the blurry form of Uzume, seated up in the tree. There’s a great bruise forming on her upper arm from where she’d not been quick enough to dodge him (hey, he’s dialled it back but no student has ever learnt if they weren’t pushed) but she seems happy enough. “You’re learning Fūinjutsu then?”

“Yep! Mama knows a fair bit, what with the one on her head, and whenever Jiraiya finds us, he always gives me something to work with. I know the academy three jutsus and I’m getting to grips with earth-release too. What about you, Shisui-senpai? Your body-flicker is incredible, but I don’t know what else you can do, other than beat the crap outta someone at high speed which is hella impressive on its own!” She leaps down from the tree, landing on the ground and dropping into a roll like him. Only, she comes up with her face a mere handful of inches from his, grinning and with no concept of personal space. Shisui reaches out and pushes her shoulder, hooking his foot around her ankle and she’s sprawling out across the grass with an oomph.

“I’ve mastered fire and lighting-release, and I’m working on wind. I’ve very skilled at taijutsu and kenjutsu, mainly because I am very, very fast.”

“Yeah, you are,” Uzume murmurs in agreement, rolling over onto her stomach, head supported by her hands and elbows out on the ground, feet kicked up and swinging back and forth. “You’re gonna be a super amazing shinobi when you’re all grown up, I can see it now. And you’re smart too- Hey! You could be my most trusted when I become Hokage!”

“So dead-set on becoming Hokage are we, Uzume-chan?” Shisui teases, getting to his feet and inspecting the pile of confetti that is slowly being distributed across the grounds by the breeze. By law, all confetti in Fire Country has to be biodegradable; no one wants plastic stuff about the place that’ll send up toxic fumes when a ninja battle gets a little too close with all their fire and lightning and water ninjutsus.

“Well, the Hokage’s job is to protect people and that’s what I want to do. I want to protect my Mama and Shizune-nee and Jiraiya and you too!”

“And me?”

“Well yeah, we’re friends, aren’t we?” Uzume peers up at him, all big puppy eyes and pouty little lips. Cute as a button.

“I’ll never say no to a smart friend,” Shisui concludes, offering his hand out to help the little lady up, “but I do have a riddle for you. Is the Hokage charged with protecting people, or is protecting people what makes a Hokage?”

Uzume blinks twice, as he hauls her up, mouth a little oval of surprise instead of what Shisui is coming to recognise as her customary grin.

“Have a think, Uzume-chan. I’ve got someone I want you to meet and, thankfully, the academy will be finishing in a few minutes.”

They make their way through the street, hand in hand again because Uzume-chan had insisted and Shisui doesn’t have any reason nor will to not allow it. She pulls him over to a dango-stall, eagerly greeting the gentleman that addresses her as the ‘pretty little lady’ as if she’s known him her whole life and not a single day (because Shisui knows that Tsunade’s only been in the village a day; he listens to the local gossip, sue him). They continue their walk while devouring the treats, Uzume happily explaining to him that the dango here ranks as the third best she’s ever tried, that there’s a place in River Country and then one near the boarder with Rain Country that are first and second best, respectively.

Listening to Uzume explain her life on the road is nice enough, though the thought that she hadn’t been exposed to the terrors of war as he had been is… discomforting. She’d have only been seven when the war ended and, skilled as she is, would have been a genin for the last few months. But because she’s been living with Tsunade-

No, he’s not going down that path again. The envy that lingers in him, hungry and bitter, has already caused the death of one comrade. He won’t allow it out again, wont’ acknowledge it beyond knowing it should be kept locked. Up.

“Who’re we meeting anyway?” Uzume asked, removing the empty stick from her mouth with an audible pop, twirling it between her fingers. Their joined hands are swinging back and forth between them and she looks one prompt away from skipping along side him. Ah, she’s adorable. Itachi’s adorable too, but that’s in a mature, sensible kind of way. Uzume’s adorable in a bright, little ball of sunshine way. He’s keeping both of them; hopefully, Uzume’s as smart as she’s made out to be so far and will be able to keep up with his little best friend.

“My best friend will be coming out of the academy; he’s younger than us, but he’s very mature and probably smarter than me.” Shisui’s not afraid to admit to that either. Itachi… there are times when the leaps in logic he manages, the way he connects dots or simply the way he phrases his observations leave Shisui stunned. They’re the Uchiha clan, they’re rather well known for producing smart and capable shinobi. But Itachi takes intelligence to a whole other level. Once he’s figured out how to fully apply it to being a shinobi… well, it’ll be over for those jealous bitches who watch on enviably.

“Cool! I’m all for making new friends! Is he interested in jutsu creation? Will he want to talk about what it means to be Hokage like you? I like discussing that; it’s not a topic Mama’s fond of, so I try not to talk to her about it. Wait, should we have saved a stick of dango for him?”

“Er, probably? Itachi won’t mind that we haven’t though.”

Uzume hums, lips pressing together and brows furrowing before she carefully says, “it’s still rude of me. I’ll buy him two sticks tomorrow to make up for it.” Yeah, Uzume and Itachi are going to get along just fine. He can only hope that Tsunade will be visiting more often than what she’s done so far. Surely, she will if Uzume asks, won’t she?

They arrive at the academy just as everyone is swarming out; a few of the adults clock Shisui’s clan sigil and frown, though no words are spoken. Uzume still catches the looks, her gaze hesitant when she turns to him but Shisui makes no comment. He has no desire to open up that can of worms right now. Even if he’s far from the tallest person present, Itachi manages to find him regardless, his little backpack over both shoulders and his face a clear display of his curiosity as he takes in Uzume’s presence. Uzume who obviously isn’t going to allow Itachi’s usual routine of observe and then interreact to occur with the way she bounces forwards. As she’s yet to let go of Shisui’s hand, he’s unwittingly dragged along too.

“Hi! My name’s Kato Uzume! Shisui-senpai said you’re his friend so maybe we can be friends too, then I’ll have two friends!” She jams her other hand out in the space between them, fingers sprawled open wide and that ridiculously friendly grin on her face. Well, she’s upfront about it, not that he’s surprised.

Pulling his captured hand up until he’s forced Uzume to cross her arm over her chest so he can rest his arm across her shoulders, Shisui offers Itachi what he hopes is a matching grin.

“Uzume-chan wants to be Hokage; she’s already offered me the role of her most trusted shinobi, so she’s got my stamp of approval.”

Itachi looks between the two of them, flat dark eyes passing over them both and, behind that steady face, Shisui knows for certain his mind is whirling. And he knows, though he’s never voiced it, the kid’s dream is exactly the same as Uzume’s. He wants to become Hokage. And, no offence to Uzume, but Itachi’ll probably make a better job of it all. That’s just who he is; Shisui believes in him.

Doesn’t mean he can’t tease him though.

“Uchiha Itachi. It’s nice to meet you.” Itachi dips his head in a gentle nod, slowly accepting Uzume’s offered hand, which she’s quick to shake. Whatever topic the two were going to pick as their opening conversation, Shisui will never know, for Tsunade of the Sanin saunters through the throngs of parents and children and makes a bee-line for them. She eyes Shisui and he straightens up under her gaze, shoulders straight and head tilting up, as if rising for inspection. He doesn’t let out a breath of relief when she nods her head, even if he wants to.

“Good, Fugaku’s kid’s here. Come on, Uzume. We’re having dinner with the Uchiha Clan Head.”

One dainty hand is held out before her and Uzume eagerly drops both his and Itachi’s in favour of clamping her sweaty palm into her mother’s. Chancing a glance to his fellow Uchiha, Shisui takes note of the confusion that twists his features; he could make a pretty good guess at what it is that his best friend is confused over.

“I didn’t know Tou-san had plans to entertain tonight,” Itachi says softly, confirming Shisui’s suspicions.

Tsunade snorts, not even looking at them as she swings Uzume up to rest on her shoulders. His new friend drops back, legs held in position by her mother so that she can hang free, upside down but still looking at them. She wiggles her fingers at Itachi, grinning the whole while as Tsunade leads them through the streets.

“Oh, he doesn’t have any plans with me. But he will, he will.”

Well hell if that ain’t ominous.


	3. Chapter 3

_"What do you mean the Uchiha district has moved. The whole point of it being where it was is because the Uchiha and the Senju were the heart of the village. I gave permission for the Senju buildings to be opened up for others to inhabit; the Uchiha Clan hasn't dwindled to a trickle like the Senju, so why the fuck are they on the outskirts now?"_

Tsunade had not been best pleased with the answer to her questions. That Sensei's office is now desk-less (the one she'd been using having mysteriously appeared a few training grounds away, along with a good portion of the Hokage's Tower's window, both in pieces) and that Tsunade's mood is simmering at an all-time angry bubble is, well, totally related. She's not gonna lie about that. Shizune, bless her golden heart that is far too good for any companion of Tsunade to have, is off pulling a shift at the hospital. Probably even teaching some of the medics, come to think about it. She might not have her proficiency with medical ninjutsu, but nobody does. Tsunade is one of a kind, the trailblazer. It's one of the things Dan had loved about her.

_"I'll do it. I'll protect all the people, just like Uncle Nawaki and Papa wanted to. I'll become the Hokage!"_

Even now, Uzume's words send a shiver down her spine, have the necklace burning the skin of her breastbone. There's no wounded skin, only her shattered heart, the one Uzume and Shizune had slowly put back together and it's now bleeding out. God, is this what she's doomed to? Her brother, the love of her life, both dead. Her only child (her world) determined to follow in their footsteps? Tsunade shall never give Uzume the First's necklace; she'll never tempt fate like that. It's already cutting far too close to the bone.

"You're like some kind of wizard-ninja!" Uzume suddenly declares, still draped over Tsunade's back in order to keep her conversation going with the two Uchihas. Shisui and Fugaku's brat; she hadn't bothered to learn the new clan kids' names. Not her fault, she's only been the village for a day and has zero plans to stay for more than a week. Even if she has to drag Uzume out by her feet, kicking and screaming. She will not lose another person to this place. Not again.

"How do you keep winning?"

"Shisui's cheating by using the Sharingan," Fugaku's brat intones, ruthlessly throwing his however many removed cousin in front of the jutsu. From the dramatic gasp, the betrayal is completely expected and this Shisui kid, no matter how wonderous his reputation, has a penance for drama. Great, another Jiraiya in the making. At least the Uchiha will crush any perverted tendencies before they can take root.

"Uh-huh, uh-huh," Uzume replies and she's got to be nodding with the way her head bumps against Tsunade's ass. "And what exactly is a Sharingan then?"

What follows is a rather in-depth lecture of the Uchiha clan blood-limit which, while giving no weaknesses away nor fully outlining its origins and activation, is remarkably coherent. Tsunade even glances back over her shoulder to make sure Fugaku's kid hasn't been substituted with a teenager. But no, the brat's still there, still just as cute, even with that passive expression his face. Well damn, they have a new Oro- a new Hatake. Hatake was a genius kid too? Still is really, he's what, fifteen, sixteen years old? That's a kid as far as Tsunade's concerned, war hero or not. Sage, Konoha hasn't changed a bit, has it; still sending out child soldiers. Hadn't that been what her grandfather had created this place with the intent of stopping.

Turning into the new Uchiha district (and what a joke that is, what an insult, this is one of the two founding clans, they should be at the fucking heart of the village), Tsunade offers only the smallest nod to the two genin on guard, politely ignoring how they jolt in terrified surprise. Right, that might have something to do with the fact she's all but stalking into their clan compound, the heir and one of their little 'geniuses' (though if half of what Sensei said is true, then Uchiha Shisui deserves that title) trailing behind her.

"Hi Uchiha guards!" Uzume calls, probably waving because she's ridiculous like that. The more she grows up, no matter how very much she doesn't resemble him, the more she reminds her of Hashirama-jiji. It doesn't bode well.

Tsunade makes for the biggest house on the street, ignoring the way three of the Uchiha stare in blatant surprise at her presence, two of them preteens who goggle in ways only preteens can. Brats.

She knocks. And if the door, its frame, and a good section of the wall rattle, then the world can just deal with it.

* * *

When the man that has to be Itachi's father opens the door, Uzume can't quite tell if he's about to race out for a job, or if he thinks he's under attack. The swirly red eyes (the Sharingan that Shisui had been cheating with) are cool though.

"Hi!" Uzume chirps, sitting up straight on her Mama's shoulders now and offering her hand to the man, little fingers wiggling in an invitation. "I'm Uzume and Kaa-san says our families are having dinner together!" She can feel the shift in her mother's torso as she quietly snorts, undoubtedly amused by her actions. She always is; it's why Uzume had started playing up to them when she was younger. Now she does not because it makes other people happy, but because it makes her happy. Uzume likes being happy, it's so much better than worrying over this new life, worrying over everything that could go wrong. Striving to be better, to do better. Because, because why not?

Itachi's Tou-san stares up at her looking rather like he's trying to puzzle together a particularly difficult jigsaw. Only he's got three others going on at the same time, all the pieces are in one big pile and he's not got a stable surface to work on. Mama gets a few of those looks whenever she walks into a gambling den with Uzume in tow. Not that Uzume minds; those places have the best peanuts and she and Shizune have a running bet going on how long Mama can stay before she's racked up too many debts to remain in town. So far, Shizune is winning, eleven to nine.

"Tsunade-san?" Itachi's Tou-san asks after he's done with the awkward pause, slowly reaching to accept Uzume's hand and shake it. He's got ninja hands; very little sweat, lots of scars and callouses and long fingers. Man, the sex jokes she could make over a ninja's dedication to having finger dexterity. But people freak out when nine-year-old's come out with stuff like that. Or, she assumes they would. She's only ever dropped one joke in Jiraiya's presence and if the self-proclaimed super-pervert got uncomfortable with it, normal people would probably be far more unimpressed.

"That's right. Get the wife, we're going on for dinner. Clan head to clan head."

"You're a clan head, Mama?" Squishing her Mama's cheeks together to be sure she has her attention, Uzume tilts the head in her hands back slightly so they can have eye contact. She loves her Mama's eyes, they're such a lovely colour, caramel-brown, all bright and sharp. She's pretty pleased she'd got them too; if her Mama's face shape rises from the puppy-fat of her cheeks, she's gonna be a grade ten knock-out when she's older.

"Yes, Uzume. Clan heads notice things. Like when other clans are being unfairly treated by paranoid little ratbags who seem to forget there were only two individuals capable of controlling Biju and only one of them came from the Uchiha Clan."

Huh. There are a lot of implications in there that Uzume does not like at all. She's been raised on stories of the Uchiha and Senju clan joining together and saving children with the creation of the Leaf Village. And… and the people of the Leaf Village are now treating the Uchiha badly? That's not fair. No wonder Mama's so up in arms about it.

"The Hokage sees no issue with how the behaviour towards the Uchiha Clan is being conducted, Tsunade-san."

And oh, ain't that a loaded response, no outright agreement, but there's no denial at all.

"Well, when I'm Hokage that'll stop right away! Can't have people being mean to my most trusted shinobi, can I, Shisui?"

Dropping back on her mother's shoulders until she's once again facing the two Uchiha kids (even if she is upside down), Uzume offers Shisui a grin. He doesn't quite grin back but he is focused on her words. Uzume wants to reach out and pinch his cheeks, to force them up into the friendly smile but they're clearly on a dark, depressing topic and it wouldn't be appropriate. Even if she'd wanted to do that, the fact Mama plucks her up and off her back, holding her out between herself and Itachi's Tou-san, prevents her from going through with the action.

There's a momentary pause before Mama lets go, forcing Uzume to flip around or land face down on the stone step that stands before the door to Itachi's home.

Uzume straightens out her shirt, tilting her head back to stare up at Itachi's Tou-san as she smiles.

"Please bring your pretty wife to dinner. If there's two pretty ladies, people will stare a lot and they'll see they're being stupid." They won't, at all. But they will take note of Tsunade of the Sanin's first dinner back in Konoha. They will take note that she's sitting down with the Uchiha Clan head and his family. And one step can only lead to more, right?

"Itachi, go and ensure Sasuke is dressed and fetch your mother. Shisui, dismissed."

"Hai, Fugaku-sama."

Itachi has a cute little brother. Uzume stares the entire time they walk to the dinner place; Itachi had carried

little Sasuke-bō balanced on his hip for the whole journey, taking time to name the things Sasuke pointed out, clearly stating the word again and again until Sasuke copied him. He even made sure to sit next to him at the table, despite the fact Sasuke needed a booster seat.

"Cute," Uzume whispers, wincing nonetheless when Sasuke's pudgy little hands grapple with her hair. He's clearly fascinated and she can hardly blame him; after all, pale blue hair is a lovely colour and she takes great care with it. What with the Uchiha clan seeing to have no colours to offer other than black and brown, she can understand why the little baby is so spellbound by her hair. "So cute."

"Otouto, be gentle," Itachi insists, carefully peeling Sasuke's fingers free and adjusting his grip with a practiced ease. Uzume tangles her own hand in Itachi's hair. It's just as soft as she expected; she'd bet her week's pocket money that Sasuke's jammy hands have pulled away at these strands more than once. It's probably why Itachi keeps it all back in a tiny ponytail. Maybe she should start thinking about that.

Freeing her hand carefully, Uzume ruffles Sasuke's baby-soft locks, doing her best not to coo because she's only nine and cooing is what adults do to children.

It goes unsaid between herself and Itachi that they're both keeping an ear on the conversation occurring between the adults, even if they have been regulated to the 'kid's side of the table'. She can see why Shisui is friends with Itachi, even if he's younger than him. He's very, very clever and sharp too; listening to the conversation and looking between the adults they're hear with and the adults who are trying to make it appear like they're not listening in on the conversation.

"-forget Hashirama was just as capable-"

"-force, we are tasked with looking after the civilians-"

"-grandmother was the Kyūbi jinchūriki and it's only because of Hashirama-jiji that her pregnancy-"

"-Kushina's child never survived-"

The look Mama has on her face shows exactly how much belief she has in the statement Itachi's Kaa-san has just come out with. While Uzume doesn't have the full context of the conversation going on, she's got the gist of it. The Kyūbi had attacked Konoha two years ago and the Uchiha were getting some of the blame because old Madara had been capable of controlling it. But Mama's quite blatantly point out that not only had grandpa Hashirama killed Madara, but he too could control the Kyūbi. Then something about jinchūriki (whatever they are, though the term does ring a bell) and how pregnancy weakens the seal. Things go in seals and Uzume knows what gran-Mito had done with the Kyūbi. This 'Kushina' must have been the next one after gran-Mito.

With the mystery solved, Uzume focuses on the main puzzle here; why her Mama is doing this. Uzume is far from blind; she knows Mama's a cynic; knows she has a distaste for the concept of dreams and even a burning hatred towards the concept of a Hokage. It's saddening, to know Mama so dislikes everything their grandfather strove for. But she wasn't always like this; it's obvious by the fact she's trying to do right by the Uchiha Clan now. She's acting… she's acting like a Hokage, seeing a problem and fixing it, protecting the people of the village. The Leaf Village had been based on the concept of family and Mama's trying to protect that family.

"Uzume-san, are you well?"

Blinking, Uzume focuses her attention on Itachi and his concerned eyes, forcibly dragged from her moment of realisation. She looks back to the adults, to Mama who's happily refilling her sake cup and she just can't hold it in. Uzume stands in her seat, drawing the attention of everyone at their table (and a good few of the people around them).

"Mama, you should become Hokage."

Sake goes flying across the table. Credit to Itachi's Kaa-san; she handles the spray of alcohol well, delicately plucking up a napkin and mopping up the residue that hit her sleeves. All the while, Mama hacks and splutters and coughs, eyes bulging and there's a distinct hand-shaped imprint on the table that wasn't there before. Oops.

"Uzume-"

"I don't understand. You clearly care for the people here, otherwise you wouldn't be tantruming at the Hokage-jiji or be here at this meal and if you ever died I'd have to find a way for your dream of skilled medics to happen, so I don't understand why you're letting Papa and Uncle Nawaki's dream slip away! You could do it; you're the legendary kunoichi and I just don't understand why you can't carry out their dream!"

There are tears pooling in the corner of her eyes and Uzume hates hates hates this childish body and its stupid hormones. Angrily stomping up onto the table, she storms along the length to leap off, making for the door as fast as her little legs could carry her. It's so stupid, she's an adult in a kid's body, she can articulate as well as any full-grown woman right now. But she just can't get the words to come out. How is she supposed to make Mama see that she could help so many people just by being here, by pushing for reforms and implementing what she's learnt in her time and a ninja to better so many lives? How can she not realise that in order to be happy she's going to have to fight for it, to try and improve her outlook and know that the rest will follow.

God, this is so stupid. She's just stormed out like a baby in a strop, a full-blown tantrum. And she called her Mama out for smashing desks under-fist while she's ruining dinner with a clan head.

Arms wrap around her and Uzume chokes back a sob, angling her head back and up to stare at Mama, hating how her eyes are burning and her throat is closing up without her consent.

"We're going back to the hotel for a talk, Little Slug. You can do some training with the Uchiha brat tomorrow while I catch up with Fugaku then."

Uzume sits silently as her Mama wipes the tear-tracks from her cheeks, each gentle swipe of the tissue making her feel guiltier and guiltier. What right does she have to try and push Mama towards a goal that has clearly traumatised her? What right does she have to force her concept of happiness on another? If Mama's not open to change, she'll dig her heels in and refuse and it'll just make their lives unhappy.

"I'm sorry, Mama."

"Do you know why I left Konoha, Uzume?"

Sniffling, Uzume wipes at the glob of snot on her upper lip, accepting the tissue from Mama's hand to dispose of the sticky fluid. She can feel it all behind her nose though, all bunged up and ready to come streaming out if she starts on the tears again.

"Because Uncle Nawaki and Papa died?"

"Because they wanted to be Hokage. And when I encouraged them to chase their dream, when I gave them my blessing, they died. They died running after a dream they couldn't achieve. I couldn't save them, Dan died in my arms, Uzume. I couldn't bear to see it happen again and again and again. I can't bear to see it happen again."

"But… but just because Papa and Uncle Nawaki died… it doesn't mean the Hokage stops existing. Someone has to be the Hokage, to protect all the people of the Leaf Village and care for them. That's what Hashirama-jiji wanted. A place where people could be safe. And it's not perfect, otherwise people wouldn't die."

Sucking in her lower lip, Uzume considers her next words, wrangles them about in her brain in an attempt but the feelings into a sentence that would make sense. It's, it's just something she's attached to, the concept of this great legacy to look after people, to make sure they're safe and can just, live. Perhaps she has a unique perspective because she's on her second life, because she's been stripped of everything she had before but given another chance to just live but… urgh, it's so difficult!

"But if we don't strive to improve, we'll always be stuck in a bad situation. Hashirama-jiji dared to put his dream out there but once he had, it suddenly wasn't his dream anymore. And I wanna be to Hokage, so Papa's dream isn't just his, and it isn't just Hashirama-jiji's. Isn't that what the Will of Fire that Shizune-nee talks about is supposed to be? To protect the next generation?"

Little Sasuke with his chubby cheeks, his big brother already nurturing him, helping him. It makes so much sense; the tangle of politics, of opinions and attitudes in her old life, none of it had made sense to her. How hard was it to understand you should be kind to people? How hard is it for the people here to understand it?

"I just, I think Hashirama-jiji's right. We should be kind to each other, and kindness has to start somewhere-"

Uzume's cut off from her rambling thought that even now are spiralling off into a tangent. She's reeled into Mama's arms, wrapped up nice and tight in the warm embrace and she melts into it. Her head hurts, her eyes are burning with a sensation that implies they're be ugly-swollen tomorrow and her chest hurts. But how can she possibly keep quiet, knowing all of this? How can people be so blind to not recognise that the world needs all the kindness they can give? Her history lessons say there has been progress but progress is a ball that must be kept rolling. They cannot afford to become Sisyphus.

"You're too clever, Little Slug."

And as Mama presses a kiss to her head, Uzume allows her eyes to slide shut, hoping all would be right and well again in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Key differences between Uzume and Bella (of 100 winks); Uzume's not processed her way through things as a nine-year-old child like seventeen-year-old Bella has. Also, different world, different experiences and upbringings.  
I have no plan whatsoever with this; I'm just rolling and seeing where it's going (that includes romance-wise; she's nine guys). But I totally subscribe to the whole 'be kind' concept. There's a quote I like;
> 
> _'I cannot do all the good that the world needs. But the world needs all the good that I can do'_ \- Jana Stanfield
> 
> And I don't know about anyone else, but those are words I'm trying to roll with right now, as is Uzume. 
> 
> **Let's be kind, people.**


	4. Chapter 4

  
Uzume is strange. 

Itachi thinks this as he sits atop the central training log, watching the other move through her katas. The motions are fluid, well-practiced, though her left elbow could be slightly higher on the third stance. It’s only a minuscule adjustment, one she’ll correct naturally through practice. 

He doesn’t voice it. 

It has been four days since Senju Tsunade barged into the Uchiha compound and all but dragged them out for a meal in full view of the village. Itachi had felt their eyes lingering on their families, had been able to interpret the confusion that came as suspicion gave way. Four days and the Senju Princess is here again, unannounced and unbothered for it, corralling his father into another meeting of questionable content. It worries him. There is little Itachi can do for now, still an academy student; Mother had huddled him outside with Tsunade-hime’s daughter and the instructions to ‘go play’. She has kept Sasuke within their home, understandable given that it is nap time. 

They’re at one of the smaller training grounds the Uchiha clan has and Itachi is watching the girl he keeps company. Shisui has brought her along to meet him, so clearly, he thinks a friendship between them would be beneficial. Itachi understand why; she’s emotionally bright, a stark difference to most of the Uchiha within the clan. Her smiles come easy and honest.

He has not forgotten about the outburst during their shared dinner days previously.

“Oi, Itachi-kun. What’re you thinking about?” Uzume taps one index finger against his ankle, angling her head back so she can direct a wide, beaming smile up at him. It’s not an expression common in this compound; the only one who smiles like that is Sasuke.

“I am trying to come to an understanding of why your mother is here,” he admits, voice soft. 

“Eh? Mama’s here because we’re friends with the Uchiha and some of the people in the village are being mean. That’s what friends are for, right?” Cocking her head to a side, Uzume assesses him for a moment before she decides to scramble up one of the other training posts. Only when she is seated upon the top does she continue to speak. “Mama explained it, something to do with the Kyūbi, right? Madara had a special Sharingan though and you guys don’t. It’s like saying Mama could’ve made the fox attack even though she can’t grow trees.”

It’s a remarkably simple way of referencing the First’s legendary jutsu, but it gets the point across. Tsunade of the Sanin has taken offence at the suspicions of the other villagers. It’s blatantly obvious why. Were it just Tsunade herself, the woman would probably not care, more than capable of defending herself and secure in her position in the village.

Only, it’s not just Tsunade who carries Senju blood anymore. He doesn’t doubt that Tsunade assumes their suspicions could also carry on to her daughter, a girl who does not have the laurels that the Sanin herself boasts.

“There will be deeper implications,” Itachi confesses, directing his gaze back to Uzume, watching her stare back at him with the same eyes her mother has, “political repercussions that will effect how we live our lives.” Already they have moved compounds, though Itachi had been too worried about Sasuke at the time to really consider it.

“Yeah. Mama’s already decided she’s sticking around. We were supposed to leave yesterday,” Uzume muses, rubbing at her chin with a forefinger and thumb. There’s a thin cut along the meat of her palm from a misstep with an advanced kunai movement. “But that’s good, because we can work for a common goal and help each other!”

“A common goal?” Itachi repeats, a disguised enquiry into her meaning.

“Well, yeah. A Uchiha and a Senju working together was what made Konoha, right? Something this amazing came out of our clans joining forces and working together towards a common goal with good intentions. What’s the say we can’t do that again? I mean, what we’ve got now is better than the Clan Wars, but there’s still people dying, right? There’re still wars. So, we figure out a way to stop them! Just like in Jiraiya-oji’s book!”

Uzume gives him a copy of the book in question; the main character is called Naruto. It’s not difficult to make the connections (Jiraiya the author, the Yondaime the student, the new jinchūriki and the origins of his name) so Itachi settles for adding the book to his nightly routine until he has read it. After all, if the Yondaime had named his only child after the main character, then it can be concluded there’s something of worth to be taken from the book itself.

Silently opening the front door, Itachi walks into his home with Uzume trailing after him, their hands joined. It’s pure manipulation; Uzume had stated her mother was more likely to agree to her demands whenever she was acting particularly cute and Itachi is not above using the very same effect on his own mother. It is just as Tsunade-sama did the other day; exposure to the friendship between the Uchiha and Senju clans will force the populous to pay attention, force them to reconsider the views they are slowly beginning to settle into. It’s all about momentum and building up the force of an idea.

“Mama?” Uzume knocks on the door to his father’s office for two reasons; Itachi has been instructed to not disturb his father whenever he is in that room with the door closed, and Uzume is under no such instructions from her mother.

The door slides open a moment later, Senju Tsunade staring down at them. Her hair, usually secured in two low ponytails, rests on her head in a high bun. Clearly the sight in uncommon enough as Uzume goggles for a moment, only gathering her bearings when Itachi gives the slightest squeeze to their adjoined hands.

“If Itachi-kun’s Kaa-chan says it’s okay, can we go into the village and get some dango, please?” She presses her lips together and forwards, eyes widening and glistening wetly; it’s a surprisingly clear transformation from happy girl to pouty little princess. A tried and tested method; Tsunade softens instantly, reaching out to ruffle Uzume’s hair. After a moment’s thought, she does the same with him. It’s a strange sensation; only Shisui ruffles his hair like that.

“Be good. No encouraging rebellion in the other kids.”

“Encouraging rebellion?” Uzume repeats theatrically, one hand pressing dramatically to her chest. “Why I’d never, Mama!” From the snort, Tsunade believes that about as much as Itachi does. Regardless, she shoos them away from his father’s office, the door closing. Not before Itachi hears his father restart their conversation. It shouldn’t surprise him that Father is discussing his future genin team, the possibility of him being placed alongside Uzume. What does surprise him is the sharp ‘no’ from Tsunade. They don’t get to stick around long enough to find out the reasons why the Sanin has denied his father.

Permission from his mother is easily acquired; Itachi has been running errands for his mother since he was four years old in the tail end of the war, back when they knew they’d all but won with the Yondaime’s new jutsu decimating the ranks of the enemy. He’s not surprised that his mother gives him a small shopping list alongside the money for dango.

“-had dango the day I arrived and the day after that, but we’ve been too busy to go anywhere else since, and this time I’m eating it with you instead of Shisui! Though we should probably save him some.”

“Shisui would appreciate it,” Itachi agrees, thinking of his favourite cousin. As a chūnin, Shisui was in charge of leading a team on a mission outside the village for a week; he was three days in already and the dango would keep until he returned. He’d never known the other to be delayed upon returning from a mission, so it was incredibly likely he’d be back in time to enjoy the sweet treat.

“What do you like to do for fun, Itachi-kun?” Uzume still has her fingers threaded through his; her palm is larger than Sasuke’s, fingers decorated with the usual callouses.

“I like visiting traditional cafes with Kaa-san and spending time with my otōto.”

“Ah! You’re such a good big brother! I’d probably go crazy with worry if I had a little sibling but it’d be so cool to teach them all the things I know! Hey, Itachi-kun…”

Itachi glances back at his new friend, taking note of the way her eyes have drifted off to a side, her head tilting slightly, frown on her lips. He’s not quite sure where the street she’s looking down leads to, having never had any reason to deviate from his usual points of interest; the market, the Uchiha district, the academy. The only other place of significance he’s been in the Memorial Stone and that is in the opposite direction.

“What’s down there?”

“I’ve never been to that side of Konoha,” Itachi admits, taking a step closer to Uzume so they can both look down the street in question. It’s not abandoned, there are a few people walking along its length, a ninja with his teammate slinking down the dirt path.

“…Wanna explore?”

* * *

Tsunade could cry. Not tears of sadness, more unrivalled fury and frustration. When one of the smaller slugs had appeared with a message from Shizune that Uzume was acting weird, Tsunade had dropped everything to race to the Forest of Death. She knew exactly why Uzume was hanging around that particularly training ground now, but at the time? Fuck yeah, she’d been worried.

Finding her darling daughter standing on the outskirts of Training Ground 44, a semi-vacant expression her face and an understandably confused Uchiha Itachi hadn’t been how she’d been expecting her day to go. She’d promised the brat that Uzume would be along to get dango with him at a later date and sent him on his way, spiriting her daughter to the hospital for tests.

And here she is, seventeen tests in and still no iron-clad certainty on what is wrong, just a gut feeling.

Her grandfather had been the one to create the Forest of Death. She’d heard the stories, dear Grandmother Mito had been the one to tell her the tale of a bet gone wrong, her grandfather laughing off the increasingly large animals that had come along after he’d grown particularly potent trees.

And now her daughter can stand before it. Can feel that there’s something off about the trees.

She can remember Hashirama bringing her to the forest in her early years, asking if she could feel anything different about the trees. Tsunade can remember shrugging and stating they were big trees. Her grandfather had smiled, laughed that loud, boisterous one. But she hadn’t missed the tinge of sadness in his eyes that his gift had yet again not cropped up in the next generation.

And her daughter had stood before the forest and said the trees felt weird.

Tsunade could fucking scream. But she won’t. Not yet. Because she’s a respectable shinobi who doesn’t need the hassle of a mental evaluation being thrown on top of all the other shit she’s got to deal with.

There really is no escaping this place, is there?

She could leave, go back to travelling. But travelling with her apprentice and daughter is a bit different to travelling with her apprentice and her daughter who’s shown the slightest hint she might have inherited her great-grandfather’s famed jutsu.

Tsunade is a good ninja, a strong one. She’s a Sanin and there’s few people ballsy enough to fuck with her, even fewer who could do it and live to tell the tale.

Orochimaru is one of them. The one who’s gone rogue, the one who had experimented on children trying to recreate her grandfather’s abilities. And here’s her daughter saying the trees feel weird.

She’d sworn the Uchiha boy to secrecy, meeting his eyes and hoping she can convey the ‘you need to keep this a secret or my daughter will be hunted and you can bet your ass I’ll extract revenge on your clan if you let this slip’. She doesn’t doubt the boy understands, not with how serious he’d looked upon nodding his head. Little genius indeed.

That doesn’t solve her current problem.

“Mama? Are you okay?”

Uzume lifts her head off her shoulder, shuffling about in her arms and Tsunade hugs her a bit closer. Normally, she’ll carry the girl on her shoulders or her back, if she ever carries her at all. Uzume’s nine now, she doesn’t exactly need carting around everywhere. But right now, Tsunade needs to hold her child. To reassure herself she’s still there, that Orochimaru or any of the other fuckers out there haven’t snatched her up. No one can know. She can’t leave her little girl unprotected.

And that’s just it, isn’t it? Tsunade cannot say with one hundred percent certainty that she can defend Uzume from Orochimaru. The only person who can stand against him and win, who could take him down when having to defend something, is Sensei.

She has to stay in Konoha.

Fuck it all.

* * *

  
  


Mama has given her Grandfather Hashirama’s old diaries. There aren’t many of them and they’re worn with age, but they’re there. He’d started writing when he was twelve and the first sentence of page fifty-three is what stands out.

_‘It’s weird, but it’s like I can almost feel the trees.’_

Weird. That’s the word she’d used to describe the trees.

Licking her forefinger and thumb, Uzume flips the page, tracing the characters scratched across the surface in a child’s handwriting. She devours the pages, the contents, the thoughts and feelings of her most famous ancestor. 

  
  


‘-_wonder what Madara’s doing right now, I hope his brother is still alive, he cares so much for him-‘_

_‘Tobi’s getting better with his water release, if that’s even possible! Man, he drilled a hole straight through the side of a cliff with it yesterday, I’m kinda scared to face him in a spar now-‘_

_‘It’s nature chakra I can feel. At least, I think it is. There’s not really anyone I can ask about this and Tou-san’s summons rejected me, said I was already tied to another living thing... suppose that’s the trees, right? I mean, it makes sense, the trees can grow, I can make them grow, by Tobi can’t make his summons grow, they just come out big or small-‘_

  
  


Closing the first book with a sigh, Uzume relaxes back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. The small house Mama has for herself isn’t anything awe inspiring, but it is filled with all sorts of history. She’s also said there’s Senju relics hidden in an underground bunker that only those with their blood can get into; apparently, Granny Mito uses some kind of super seal to ensure it. It’s where almost all the old weapons are; Uzume’d love to know where that bunker is, she’ll probably be quite good with a sword. 

Rolling over into her stomach, she plants her chin on the low arm of the sofa, Grandad Hashirama’s first diary safely placed on the coffee table. On one hand, she can understand why Mama is reacting the way she did. The Mokuton is a legendary bloodline ability, one that’d seen the Senju hunted down like dogs by the enemy villages in an attempt to ensure it never surfaced again. It’s a power that could stop demons in their tracks, that could construct a whole village and stand as the metaphorical tree to weather all storms, protecting all those who sheltered under its branches.

It’s a terribly large legacy to inherit. Even more irritating, Grandad Hashirama doesn’t seem to have written down how he learnt to control it. Or even how he got it working in the first place. His diary is a fascinating insight into his own mind, into the time period he lived in and all the things he had to deal with, to overcome in order to create Konoha. For that alone, Uzume could sit for hours and analyse the records for days on end. 

But it seems like she’ll be on her own figuring out how Mokuton works. If she even has it, that is. Regardless. She’ll have to write her own diary for whatever kids she has in the future. Well, she hopes she’ll have kids. Maybe. After becoming Hokage. 

“All okay, Uzume-chan?” 

Peering over at Shizune (sitting on the floor, studying her own text about poisons), Uzume nods, wedging one pinky finger in her ear and wiggling it around. 

“Grandad Hashirama waffles a lot, without really saying much of anything.” It’s sorta true, it’s all in the underlying context. She’ll probably get a better understanding if she reads Grand-Uncle Tobirama’s diaries, if he even has any. But man, Hashirama must have been a great politician! Even if he’d not been doing it on purpose.

Shizune winces, the shared pain of a student trying to learn under the ramblings of a genius who’d never had to explain their thought processes before. 

Rolling off the sofa and scrambling to her feet, Uzume makes for the kitchen and, more specifically, the fridge. It’s been a whole day now since she had her ‘weird tree’ moment and she does feel band for letting Itachi down. They’d been going for dango, sharing a sweet treat. Normal kids hang out together, even here, in this world of super powers and death and child soldiers and wondrous minds who dream of peace. She wants the latter for herself, to be someone who helps improve the current situation. That’s what Hokages do, isn’t it? Own small kindness to build on others, it all adds up eventually. Tackling a problem, working on it again and again, ever failure is just a step closer to success. That’s how she’s going to have to approach the Mokuton project. And secretively too; Mama doesn’t want anyone else to know. Uzume’s not stupid.

Mama is worried. Mama is staying in the Leaf Village because it is safe. Safer than the road. Which means keeping secrets. That’s fine. Uzume can keep a secret, has been doing about the whole memories of another life thing.

Secrets doesn’t mean she can’t have friends though. She’s already secured Shisui’s friendship, he’d said so himself. And Shisui thinks that she and Itachi would be good friends and she likes Itachi; he’s clever for his age. Sorta like her but Uzume cheats with her extra memories. She can look at things as an adult and a child. It’s why she’s so good at training for her age.   
  


Itachi is just... naturally very clever. Or, that’s the impression she’s got so far.

He also likes sweets.

So, Uzume is gonna bake a cake. 


	5. Chapter 5

Mama’s hunched over her desk (a new one now, having replaced the one she had the other day; Uzume would ask what happened to it, but given the new window in the Hokage’s office, she’s got a pretty good idea). She’s scribbling away on a sheet of paper, muttering things that are probably not fit for the ears of an under-ten, but Uzume’s grown up with the woman. She knows exactly what kind of language she should expect to be hearing when she’s officially a ninja of Konoha. Speaking of…

She turns, eyeing the headband that’s on the Third Hokage’s desk. Her eyes filter up to the man himself, doing her level best to lift one eye brow in question but it’s just no good. Mama can do it, but Uzume sure can’t. It’s such a crying shame; she hadn’t been able to pull the sceptical expression in her other memories either. It sucks.

“I can really be a shinobi?” Not to say she wasn’t technically one already. Mama had told her two years ago she was technically a shinobi of the Leaf, registered as her apprentice. But she’d never gotten a headband. Not like this.

“You’re getting a jōnin, no team, just an apprenticeship to one jōnin, and if anything goes wrong. We. Are. Gone,” Mama grunts, staring up from her sheet of paper, gaze heavy and directed solely at the Third. In response, the Third hands another small pillar of documents over, patting the top as Mama tries to set him on fire with the power of her glare alone.

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty to change once you’re in charge, Tsunade-chan.”

Mama huffs, snatching the sheet from the top as Uzume experiences her first instance of not-movement-induced whiplash.

“Once you’re- Mama! Are you gonna become Hokage!?”

* * *

Inoichi is laughing at him. Chōza too. The latter stings, quite frankly, he’d thought they were cool, that they’d back each other. Hell, even Shikaku is smirking at him. With a whine, Sarutobi Kōji drops his head into his hands and tries not to embarrass himself too much. It’s quarter to ten in the morning, there’s a ten-minute window left before he’s expected to report in at the Hokage Tower and he is lamenting the choices that have led him to his current position in life. AKA, very recently booted out of ANBU and freshly appointed a jōnin sensei.

“It can’t be that bad, surely.”

“You can tell you’ve never had a genin team, Inoichi,” Chōza grunts, downing his own liquor, very pointedly ignoring the current time. But hey, most jōnin are told their getting little runts in the evening, not first thing in the morning as their ANBU mask is ripped away from them for ‘brighter pastures, you’ll enjoy being a jōnin sensei, I promise’. Ha.

Now, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio may be two years older than him, but Kōji had served on the front lines alongside them during the Third War; it’s not exactly a kind of bond you just shrug off after the whole thing is over and done with. Which means, upon learning he was going to be getting his very own apprentice, he’d gone straight to The Tiger Seal to drown his sorrows. Only, he can’t drown them yet because he’s got to meet his new responsibility in twelve minutes.

“Well, Kōji’s not got a genin team, he’s just got the one. Hey, it’s not the latest Uchiha Prodigy, is it?”

Kōji shakes his head, longingly eyeing the half-drunk tumbler that Shikaku is nursing.

“Worse. It’s Tsunade-neechan’s daughter.”

“I wasn’t aware Tsunade-hime had a child,” Chōza grunts, eyebrows up as he looks to Shikaku for confirmation. He always does that, just to double check things. Kōji can’t exactly blame him, he’d be doing the same thing if he weren’t already aware of the situation. While he’d been out on a mission (his last ANBU mission for some time, it turns out), he’d still heard that his dad had hosted Tsunade for dinner. Tsunade, her student, and her child.

Kōji had been thirteen when she left the village; he’d had enough time to form a bond with each of the Sannin; he’d been on Jiraiya’s genin team (for all that they’d lasted a year before the Second War tore them apart), Tsunade-neechan had become his big sister and- and that’s it.

There are only two Sannin he wants to think about right now.

“She does. Kato Uzume, professional wild thing and now my responsibility.”

Chōza winces, clicking his second glass against Kōji’s sensible cup of tea, downing it without a break to breathe.

“I can see the problem. A parent who can beat the shit out of you if you influence her wrong,” Shikaku muses, rubbing at his chin before shaking his head. “Too troublesome.”

“I had more years left in ANBU,” Kōji whines, pout firm on his lips. It has absolutely nothing to do with his beautiful fiancée having just joined the Hokage’s most elite. Well, maybe a little bit.

A quick glance to the clock; five minutes until his meeting.

“Well, guess I gotta get going. Eight O’clock tonight?”

The Ino-Shika-Chō trio offer him their affirmatives and Kōji leaves them at the bar. He daren’t drink anything before the meeting, despite it being a jōnin tradition at this point. The last thing he wants is Tsunade-neechan smelling it on him and then punting him into the sun. This way, he might be able to beg a miracle hangover cure off her in the morning.

Dad’s behind his desk, as normal. The second desk in the room is empty and, from the way the chūnin at the desk are heavily recommending to avoid the hospital for the next few hours, he can guess just where the female Sannin has ventured off to. It does leave him looking down at the little pipsqueak that is going to be his student for the foreseeable future.

Kato Uzume stares back at him with her mother’s eyes in a delicate, heart-shaped face, pouty little lips pressing together as she returns his inspection. There’s good muscle tone in her arms, her clothing is sensible, hair pulled back in some kind of twisting ponytail where he can’t see the band, hidden behind the spiral her hair forms.

“Hokage-sama.”

“Kōji,” Dad returns, a proud smile on his face as he looks on him. It’s nice, the kind of expression a father should look at his son with. He just wishes there was some of that pride directed Asuma’s way. But he can’t stick his nose into his brother’s relationship with their father without one of them giving him the cold shoulder. So, Kōji ignores it. For now.

“As you know, the latest batch of academy graduates will be assigned to their respective jōnins tomorrow. With Uzume-chan, we are at an odd number and, as she has experience working with an adult, you will be taking her on as an apprentice.”

“Understood.” Dipping his head, Kōji turns to inspect the new genin once again, taking note of the forehead protector, the metal near the same width as her skull. Uzume stares back at him, grin wide and posture relaxed. At least she doesn’t seem like she’ll be too much trouble. “Well, I suppose we should go get to know each other then, right?” Kōji muses, watching the little girl bounce forwards, covering the few feet of distance between them.

“That sounds great! Kaa-chan said she’d want to speak with you at the end of the day about some things-” Uzume waves the air before her, as if batting the metaphorical things aside for later consideration. “-but she was really happy when Hokage-sama said you were gonna be my sensei! It’s nice to meet you! I’m Kato Uzume, please take care of me!” Two thumbs up. Kōji’s getting flashbacks to his first meeting with Chōza’s team, specifically the one in green. Great.

“Sarutobi Kōji. Come on then, Kid. Let’s get going.”

He takes her to the First Training Ground. While they’re technically not a team, they do have their assigned genin training ground every morning, unless they’re out on a mission. They walk in a comfortable silence, Uzume taking in their surroundings and Kōji taking her in. She moves fluidly, good confidence in her body for a genin. Undoubtedly, Tsunade-neechan has trained her, she’ll probably have a few surprises that she can pull off that the average genin wouldn’t manage. She’s smart enough to achieve the rank of genin at nine during peace times too, so he should probably expect her to be good.

Skipping across the stepping stones that bisect the river (the one that runs through the first five training grounds, one after another), Kōji turns to watch Uzume. He’s pleasantly surprised when she walks across the river instead. Relatively shaky; she’s probably only just started water walking, but still. Good chakra control then.

Kōji takes a seat on the ground, legs crossed and pats the space beside him, grinning at Uzume as she eagerly drops into the same position as him.

“Alright then, Squirt. Let’s hear it. Likes, dislikes, dreams. And, seeing as all the other jōnin will get a fancy academy folder of what their squad can do, tell me how you’d rate your own abilities.”

“Okay! I like Shizune-nee and my new friends, Shisui and Itachi! I also really like baking because I get to experiment with different food colouring and it makes things look really interesting!” Yes, Kōji can imagine.

Completely ignoring his dubious look, Uzume-chan steamrolls on. “I hate cabbage and needles. I can’t watch a needle go in my skin but don’t tell Mama that or she’ll probably try to get me desensitized.” Here, she does pause, looking up at him with huge, bright eyes. “You really, really can’t tell Mama. Finally, my is to become Hokage so I can keep my precious people safe! Just like my Tou-san wanted to!”

Oh, yeah. He can see how that’d been a punch in the stomach for Tsunade-neechan.

“That’s a good dream, Uzume-chan. My dream is to be a strong shinobi and have a child who can look up to me and think I’m a strong dad. I like origami and I don’t like potatoes.”

“Wha! No potatoes at all? Not even chips?!”

“Nope!”

Instead of letting Uzume reel off what she knows, the jutsu she can do and how good she is at taijutsu, they decide on a spar. Though he does ask her to rate her abilities before they get started. She’d claimed to be fair at taijutsu, not so great at genjutsu, but declared she’d already started learning one of her elemental affinities; earth jutsus. She’s also interested in learning how to use a sword.

As they get going, he can see why Dad pushed him out of ANBU and into being her jōnin sensei. She quick, with sharp eyes that look him over whenever they’re not moving. It’s the same problem he’d had at her age; too many options, too many ways to deal with a problem and then you dither, trying to figure out which one to use. It’s slowing her reactions because she’s too busy thinking. At least he knows what they’ll work on first.

Kōji goes low, snapping his leg out and Uzume jumps up and over it, running through a series of hand-seals as she starts a cartwheel. Earth Release: Tearing Earth Turning Palm comes racing towards him, tearing up the ground as it stretching out from where his little genin has slammed her hand down, flipping away from her start point. Not many people with earth affinities are known for being agile. They’re more a ‘plant your feet and don’t move’ type. That’s how Kōji himself is. Still, it’s unexpected, they can probably develop that, though it will require him to step out of his own mindset. Still, promising.

There’s potential here.

He slips under the ground, hand coming up to catch Uzume’s ankle and snap her under the earth. He surfaces just before her in a low crouch, smiling down at her flushed face. She’s wiggling about, already reaching out with her own earth-tinted chakra to begin softening the edges of her cave. Give it another minute and she’ll be out and ready to go again.

A minute of inactivity on the battlefield would get you killed though.

“That’s enough for now, Uzume-chan,” Kōji declares, tweaking her nose and watching her cheek redden that little bit more.

“You’re amazing, Kōji-sensei! And you’re earth-natured like me too! That’s perfect, we’re gonna work so well together!” She keeps wiggling as she shouts, shimmying her shoulders free of the earth. Heh. Positive attitude. That’s nice to see. And if she wants to talk him up like that, well, he’ll just have to bring her with him the net time Ichika’s upset with him.

“You’re good with your earth jutsus; the fact you don’t stick around when you use them won’t be something most are used to facing. But you leave your right side open a lot when you’re using taijutsu. That’s the first thing we’ll be fixing. And tomorrow, we’ll go get you measured up for a sword.”

Uzume breaks out into more excited chatter, still determinedly wiggling free of the hole he’s put her in. What do you know, this jōnin sensei thing isn’t actually so bad. Uzume seems like a very willing, attentive student. What had he been worried about?

They call it a day, agree to meet at the same place tomorrow, eight thirty sharp.

Kōji goes home, eats, even tidies the apartment to earn brownie points with Ichika before she gets home. Then, he goes to meet Tsunade-neechan.

He talks to Tsunade-neechan.

He realises exactly why this jōnin business may be a very difficult job. Especially as Uzume’s jōnin sensei.

Two hours post-Tsunade-neechan talk, the Ino-Shika-Chō trio find him once again in The Tiger Seal, the same seat he’d been occupying twelve hours ago. The only difference is the slight dusting of dirt along his jōnin uniform and the heavy liquor held in one hand.

“Youch,” Chōza grunts, taking a seat of his own, bottle clinking against the coaster as he sets it down, “she that bad?”

It takes Kōji a moment to realise what the other’s asking him, blinking slowly in the dim lighting of the bar before he shakes his head.

“Nah, Uzume-chan’s great. Cute little thing an’ all. It’s…” he trails off, utterly unable to put it into words. Because how do you explain you’re being entrusted to look after a near-defenceless-against-missing-nin child who may or may not have the legendary bloodline that made the First Hokage a god among shinobi? All without actually admitting to the trio that she might have the Mokuton, that is? Well, he can’t. He can’t explain just why this is fucked six ways to Sunday. So, instead, Kōji takes another swig of his bottle, secure in the fact Tsunade-neechan had pushed him a vial of her miracle hangover cure after explaining the situation to him. He is going to get shit-faced tonight. He’s going to make sure the Ino-Shika-Chō trio end up shit-faced too, and then he’s gonna grab whatever D-rank is closest to one of their clan compounds in the morning and work Uzume up to her loudest volume level. Because all three of those bastards are now snickering at him and they should suffer for it.

“How’d Ichika take your new jōnin status?” Inoichi asks after he’s stopped laughing at him, pressing the neck of his bottle to the rim of his glass, pouring himself a second helping. Kōji watches the fluid move for a moment, letting the visual remind him that he’ll have to find some water jutsus to teach Uzume, or at least someone proficient in using water releases. He’s got an earth affinity himself, but his other is wind and he chose to teach himself fire release, given that it works well with wind techniques. He can only help his cute little student out with one of her affinities.

“I haven’t had chance to tell her; she had a mission this morning. Isn’t expected back for another hour.” And she’ll probably be a bit unhappy when he crawls in, sloshed out his head, in three hours. She’ll understand though. Might even be jealous that he’s got his own cute little genin. Maybe.

“Good luck with that one,” Shikaku drawls, stubbing out the lit end of his cigarette in the table’s ash-tray. “Are you sure you want to get married? Wives are-”

“Troublesome,” all four of them state at the same time, though they’re a lot chirpier than Shikaku’s lazy drawl. Chōza laughs, throwing one of his meaty arms across the Nara head’s shoulders, reeling the other in.

“Some of us actively try to keep our wives happy, Shika,” Inoichi mutters, smile not even half-hidden behind his glass. “Speaking of, bring your cute little genin by the shop some time, Kōji. I need to bring Noriko around to letting Ino-chan become a shinobi.”

Bring Noriko around-

“Wait, your wife does know that Ino-chan’s the heir, right?” Kōji asks, one finger pointed towards the Yamanaka head, the other curled alongside its brethren around his third bottle of the night. He takes three gulps before lowering the neck of the bottle. “There’s no way she’s not gonna be a shinobi.”

“I know. But I know Noriko was hoping for a boy, then a girl that she could raise as a proper lady like herself.”

“Then give her another little girl,” Chōza grunts, eagerly accepting his order of bar food that the waitress delivers. Kōji snaps pleading dark eyes towards the man but they’d been a lot more effective when he’d been a teenaged baby-face. Puppy eyes just aren’t cute once you’re past twenty-five. It’s a shame. Fortunately, he’d managed to catch Ichika’s interest before he out grew them though.

“One kid is quite enough, thank you. Ino-chan’s gorgeous but, by the Sage, can she scream.”

* * *

“What on earth is that.”

Spoon half-raised to his mouth, Itachi pauses, dark eyes flickering up to meet his father’s gaze.

Team assignments are tomorrow and his father had gotten the night off in order to celebrate, even if he had technically graduated two days ago. Sasuke, at two-years old, is too young to truly understand the significance of the milestone Itachi has found himself at. He does, however, understand that he gets to eat a little bit more than normal and stay up a little bit later than his usual bedtime which has made him quite happy indeed. As expected of a toddler, he’d tired quickly and now sits, half-dozing in Itachi’s lap. Itachi himself, well, he’s sitting up to their low table, eating desert.

“It’s chocolate orange cake,” Itachi informs his father, angling his spoon to better cut into his ‘door-wedge’ of a slice, as mother had described it. It’s his second piece, a treat for his early graduation. Uzume had delivered it in the afternoon, a bruise blooming on one of her forearms she’d extended to present him with a neatly wrapped box. The cake had been inside. Bright red icing on the top and a lopsided Sharingan design worked into the surface. There’d been one tome too many, four black specks around the pupil.

Itachi loved it anyway. That it tastes wonderful makes it even better. Shisui was right; Uzume is a brilliant friend to have. They can talk on similar topics of interest and she bakes. He’ll have to thank his best friend for introducing them.

“Uzume-chan made it,” his mother announces, retaking her seat at the table, presenting his father with a shallow cup of sake, her own balanced neatly on a saucer. “It’s quite delicious; she must have done a lot of baking on the road with Tsunade-hime.”

His father grunts, cutting himself a small slice and Itachi hides his smile behind his spoon. After all, the less his father eats, the more he’ll have leftover tomorrow to share with Shisui and Izumi.

“Take careful note of your teammates, Itachi. I expect a report on their capabilities after your first meeting tomorrow.”

“Yes, Tou-san.”

“He knows his father wanted him to be on the same team as Uzume; it’s understandable why. Despite carrying a different family name, she will technically be the Senju heir, will inherit the estates, jutsus and artefacts once Tsunade-hime deems her old enough. The credibility that would have come with being placed on the same team as her has slipped through his father’s fingers and Itachi’s aware his father is, upset by this. That she hasn’t been placed on a team with any others is probably the only reason he has not taken it as a slight against the Uchiha Clan.

Despite how much liquor they drink together, Itachi likes it when Tsunade-hime comes over. His father always seems a little less stressed after their talks, though he himself is unsure of what they discuss, what the contents of their meetings include. Still, the calming atmosphere that follows is welcomed.

“Anymore and you’ll be sick, Itachi.”

Sheepishly, Itachi lowers the knife back onto the plate, even as he looks longingly towards the half-cake remaining.

“Okay, Kaa-chan.”

The next day, after their initial team assessment, Itachi sits beside Tenma Izumo, and Shinko Inari and opens his bento.

There’s a slice of cake inside.

Mother is instantly his favourite person for the rest of the week.


End file.
